Based on what has been revealed so far, it’s clear that Dying Light: The Beast was never meant to be a mere side project. Techland has poured so much time, energy, and resources into it that it’s a bit surprising it’s not titled Dying Light 3: The Beast. In fact, in its efforts to draw on the expertise of industry veterans beyond its borders, Techland joined forces with Kojima Productions to ensure Dying Light: The Beast was pushing the envelope.
In a recent interview with Game Rant, Dying Light franchise director Tymon Smektala explained that one of the biggest shifts in Dying Light: The Beast is its graphics, citing Techland’s improvements to its engine. It’s less of a departure for the series and more of a leap forward, but one that is nonetheless backed by some serious visual firepower, including input from Hideki Sasaki, the technical art director at Kojima Productions. Sasaki’s portfolio includes some of the most visually acclaimed games of the last decade, and while Dying Light: The Beast still keeps its first-person roots, his involvement could raise the ceiling of what players expect from Dying Light‘s visual presentation moving forward.
Kojima Productions Had a Hand in Dying Light: The Beast’s Visuals
In the past, Techland described Dying Light: The Beast as the “next AAA Dying Light game,” presenting it as the third mainline installment of the series. Of course, this brings several implications to the table for the game’s presentation, as well as the developmental road Techland has taken to get there.
When asked about what that comment truly meant for Dying Light: The Beast and its development, Smektala replied:
“It was meant to emphasize that, even though the origin story could suggest otherwise, we didn’t pull any punches when working on this one. We’re going big with cutscenes, not holding resources on any features, and pushing the tech side a lot. I’m especially proud of what we achieved in terms of the graphics. The next-gen iteration of C-Engine allowed us to take the lighting, rendering, and streaming above anything we did before. Just try to compare the density and the realism of the scene in Dying Light: The Beast and Dying Light 2: Stay Human — the difference is truly huge.”
The Dying Light franchise has always boasted great visuals, with lighting and animation comprising the bulk of that excellence. After all, a considerable part of the thrill of the Dying Light experience is what happens when the sun goes down, as players are then navigating an open world filled with dangerous Infected who have no prejudice whatsoever. To escalate the tension of that experience, zombies need to look menacing, behave realistically, and respond dynamically to the player’s presence. However cinematic these moments have been, though, they have all largely played out from an in-engine, first-person perspective.
New Graphical Prowess in Dying Light: The Beast
In Dying Light: The Beast, on the other hand, Techland is going “big with cutscenes.” This is somewhat new territory for the franchise, as Dying Light has never been especially big on cutscenes—at least not in the traditional, cinematic-heavy sense.
Dying Light: The Beast‘s first-person gameplay already looks like a tremendous visual upgrade, based on early previews of the game, but a greater emphasis on cutscenes means more storytelling potential and more opportunities for Techland to show off its graphical prowess. This is where Kojima Productions comes in, as Smektala explained:
“This particular improvement was also made possible by us joining the Tencent family. We consulted the visual improvements with engineers from many Tencent studios, including Hideki Sasaki, the Technical Art Director of Kojima Productions.”
Hideki Sasaki of Kojima Productions has been involved in several major projects over the last decade, including taking a leadership role in games like Horizon Zero Dawn, Horizon Forbidden West, Cyberpunk 2077, Death Stranding, and Death Stranding 2: On the Beach. Given how much praise each of these titles has received for its visuals alone, Dying Light: The Beast is in good hands with Sasaki’s involvement. While Katarzyna Tarnacka-Polito is the game’s art director, Sasaki acting as one of many visual consultants bodes well for The Beast‘s imagery. Game development is a bit like the zombie apocalypse after all; everyone is stronger together.
Hideki Saski’s Portfolio is Impressive
- Horizon Zero Dawn
- Horizon Forbidden West
- Cyberpunk 2077
- Death Stranding
- Death Stranding 2: On the Beach
Coincidentally, one of Kojima Productions‘ defining traits is its preference for the cinematic, with both Death Stranding and Death Stranding 2 often being labeled as playable movies due to their frequent and lengthy cutscenes. That is more than likely just a coincidence, though, as it doesn’t automatically mean the cutscenes in Dying Light: The Beast will get the same treatment. Nevertheless, fans can expect visuals that are several steps above what they’ve seen from Dying Light in the past, no doubt thanks to the input of industry experts like Kojima Productions’ Hideki Sasaki.
Dying Light: The Beast
- Released
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September 19, 2025
- ESRB
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M For Mature 17+ // Blood and Gore, Intense Violence, Language, Use of Drugs
- Multiplayer
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Online Co-Op
- Franchise
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Dying Light
- PC Release Date
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September 19, 2025
- Xbox Series X|S Release Date
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September 19, 2025
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